Chapter 4 Hunter
FOUR
HUNTER
As I sat in the waiting area of Angel Security looking out the fifteenth floor window my mind drifted back to Charlie.
His elfin features, fair skin, and the adorable sprinkling of freckles across his nose was all my kryptonite in one auburn-haired package.
If I hadn't had to come to this interview, I would have spent more time trying to chat him up.
I imagined his sweet pouty lips curving up in a smile. Of course my brain took it a step further, imagining those lush lips wrapped around my cock. Said appendage started to thicken and I shifted in my seat. Do not get a boner before your interview.
My lusty thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a middle-aged woman with shoulder-length dark hair. “Mr. McLaughlin, Mr. D’Angelo will see you now.”
I rose and followed her toward the far side of the suite.
Along the way we passed by a large room whose open door revealed two men sparring using what I recognized as the Krav Maga style of fighting.
They were so good I almost stopped to watch until I remembered I had an interview.
I turned and saw the woman waiting patiently for me to catch up. “Sorry,” I murmured.
She smirked. “No problem. They’re fun to watch.”
We continued down to the last office on the left. She knocked on the door before opening it. “I have Mr. McLaughlin here, Mr. D’Angelo.”
“Send him in, Liz.”
Liz opened the door wider and waved me through with a smile. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I murmured.
Tony D’Angelo rose to greet me when I walked in. He was close to my height of six-foot-three though not as bulky. He wore a well-tailored, dark gray suit that showed he didn’t just sit behind a desk. The touch of gray at his temples gave him a distinguished look.
He held out his hand. “Hunter, it’s nice to meet you.”
I shook his hand. “It’s good to meet you too. Thanks for considering me for the job.”
He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.” He went around to sit behind his desk and pulled a small stack of papers in front of him. “Your resume is impressive,” he began. “You were in the Marine Special Operations Command for three tours.”
I rolled my shoulders. “And sometimes I feel every one of those tours.”
His lips switched up into a wry smile. “My brother says the same thing from time to time.”
My brows rose. “Your brother was in MARSOC?”
He shook his head. “SEALs. But he’s been out for about six years. He runs this company with me now. He’ll join us in a little bit. He’s sparring with one of the team at the moment.”
“I saw them,” I said. “The door to the training room was open. They’re impressive.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “And sometimes they’re major pains in my ass.”
I snorted out a laugh before I could stop myself. “Sorry,” I said.
Tony shook his head. “It’s all good. I’ve said it to their faces.” He leaned forward. “You made it all the way to Master Sergeant. What made you decide to separate from the Corps after sixteen years in?”
I paused before answering. My size and muscle allowed me to pass as straight, but I wasn’t going to work for a company that had a problem with me being gay.
“I enlisted while Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was still in effect.
After it was lifted I felt safer being out, but it was still rough.
” I clenched my jaw. “Two years ago, a guy I was seeing got cornered and got the shit beat out of him by some assholes in his platoon. He ended up being medically discharged. The ones who beat him were brought up on charges but only got what amounted to a slap on the wrist. They ended a man’s career and basically got a wink and a nudge.
I ran out my contract after that. I wanted nothing to do with an organization that would allow that kind of behavior. ”
A deep furrow had grown on Tony's brow as I told my story. When he spoke, his voice was tight with anger. “Those motherfuckers. I don’t blame you for leaving.”
A feeling of relief swept over me. “Thank you,” I said. “It wasn’t what I’d planned originally, but in the end I have to live with myself and do what’s right.”
“I hear you,” Tony replied. He pulled another set of papers toward him. “I reached out to your former commanding officer and he was happy to give you a stellar recommendation.”
I felt my face flush. My CO and I hadn’t always seen eye to eye, but I respected him and, apparently, he respected me. “That’s really good to hear.”
Tony smirked. “He also told me I’d be an idiot not to hire you.”
“I agree,” came a deep voice behind me.
I turned to find one of the men I’d seen sparring walking through the office door.
He was a big man, slightly taller than me, broad shouldered and muscular, with the same dark hair and dark eyes as his brother.
He was dressed in workout clothes and had a towel draped around his neck.
He closed the door behind him and greeted me with a smile as he came over to me and held out his hand. “Hey Hunter, I’m Marco D’Angelo.”
I rose and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.” I narrowed my eyes slightly. He looked familiar to me. When it came to me, my eyes widened.
He must have realized it at the same time because he shook his head and muttered, “No fucking way.”
“What’s going on here?” Tony asked.
Marco let go of my hand and faced his brother.
“Hunter was part of the MARSOC team we did a joint mission with. His squad and mine were arguing about whose branch was best.” He narrowed his eyes at me then lifted his shirt to reveal Japanese writing running vertically up his left side.
“That’s how I ended up with US Marines tattooed in Kanji. ”
Tony burst out laughing. “No way! That’s hilarious.”
I put my hands up in surrender. “In our defense, there was alcohol involved.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled. He folded his muscular arm across his chest and that’s when I noticed the bone frog tattoo on his left bicep. Beneath it were two sets of initials and a date. My heart squeezed in sympathy. Marco had lost two comrades in battle after the mission we’d done together.
I gestured with my chin to his tattoo. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
His expression clouded and he gave me a wan smile. “Thanks.” He grabbed a chair from the other side of the room and put it next to mine in front of Tony’s desk. “So, what do you think?” he asked me.
Tony rolled his eyes. “I haven’t even told him about what we do here yet.”
“What’s taking so long?” Marco griped.
I smiled, enjoying the interaction between the two brothers.
“To be fair, I did a lot of research into your company before I applied for the position. I know you do personal security and overseas personnel extraction as well as event security. I’m open to just about anything except long-term personal security. ”
I saw Tony glance over at Marco. He nodded at whatever he saw and said, “We want to build a second personnel extraction team. Your experience makes you a good candidate to lead that team as well as help us find the right people to join it.”
Surprise and excitement warred for dominance within me. “Wow. I didn’t expect that at all.” I turned to look at Marco. “But what about the people on the other extraction team? Wouldn’t one of them want a shot at leading a new team?”
Marco smiled as if he liked my question. “We asked them first. None of them wanted to break up our team.”
“So you lead the team?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We have five direct combat and two combat support.”
“What’s everyone’s MOS?” I asked, wanting to get an idea of what specialties they looked for on their teams.
“Gabe, Dante, and I are first in. Close combat. Andrea is our sniper. Pete is our pilot when we need one and also has Andrea’s six in the field.” He smirked. “Occasionally we have him go through windows because he’s smaller and can fit.”
I chuckled. “Poor guy. What about the other two?”
“Our brother Michael is IT and intelligence gathering.” Marco smiled fondly. “Liam is our medic.”
“And his boyfriend, “Tony added.
Something eased in me. “This really is a family business.”
Tony nodded. “It is. We take care of our own.”
“I get that impression,” I replied. “What would I be doing in the meantime while I’m building the team?”
Tony gestured toward Marco. “The same thing that one does when there’s no overseas missions. Event security and short-term personal security. Most of those are local or within a couple hours drive. Once in a while someone will request a bodyguard for a vacation or a visit to another country.”
He slid a single sheet of paper across the desk toward me. “Here’s what we’re offering for your expertise.”
I picked up the sheet and read it through. I was pretty sure my eyebrows tried to make it into my hairline. “That’s an incredibly generous offer.”
Marco chuckled. “You’ll earn every penny, trust me.”
For the first time since I’d separated from the Marine Corps, I felt a sense of belonging. This place would be good for me. “Where do I sign?”